Thatcher shrugged and said nothing more.
Slate sighed as he watched the two generals about to clash again.
"Enough."
His voice was not loud, but it carried an authority that demanded attention.
"An order is an order."
"Carry it out."
The communication screen went dark.
Rockwell sat there, staring at the order in silence for a long time.
Then he cursed under his breath.
"Worthless."
It was unclear who he was cursing.
He stood up and walked to the center of the bridge, his voice regaining the steadiness of a commander.
"Relay the order!"
"The entire fleet, prepare to withdraw."
"Ether, the Hemera Fleet withdraws to the Tyrol Galaxy.
Charon, the Moros Fleet withdraws to the Turkmen Star System!
The Hypnos Fleet withdraws to the Garton Star System!
The Directly Subordinate Fleet withdraws to the Savannah Star System!
Once each fleet has retreated to its respective star system, station yourselves within the warp points inside the systems and await further instructions from the Command Headquarters!"
The orders were swiftly relayed.
The over one hundred thousand warships of the Erebus Fleet began slowly adjusting their course.
In the airspace outside the Federation fortress cluster in the Shang Yu Star System.
The Pandora Fleet and the Ares Fleet, two hundred thousand warships strong, were advancing majestically toward the three colossal objects.
The fleet formation was spread wide.
As if ready to scatter and evade at any moment.
Every captain of every warship knew what they were about to face.
On the bridge of the flagship Ares, General Travis Slate stood before the observation window, staring at the three increasingly distinct outlines in the distance.
His brow was tightly furrowed.
"What a fine assignment."
He murmured, his tone unclear whether it was self-mockery or resignation.
The communication screen lit up, revealing the face of General Evan Thatcher.
His expression was equally grim.
"General Slate, do you think we've offended the Commander?"
Thatcher's voice carried a hint of sarcasm.
"The Erebus bunch has pulled back, leaving us here to gnaw on this hard bone."
Slate did not respond.
He merely stared out the window, silent for a few seconds, then slowly spoke.
"Three fortresses."
He paused before continuing.
"The Starfall Plasma Annihilation Beam Cannons—each shot can cover over ten thousand kilometers, with a maximum range of nine million kilometers."
He turned to look at Thatcher.
"We're currently less than ten million kilometers away from them."
The teasing vanished from Thatcher's face.
He too looked out the window.
In the distance, the outlines of the three fortresses grew clearer.
Their structures were largely similar.
The front end was a sharp cone, like a giant spear poised to pierce the sky.
The surface of the cone was densely covered with various sensor arrays and point defense cannons, gleaming with a cold metallic luster under the starlight.
The midsection was a thick cylinder, the core region of the fortress.
The energy chambers, residential zones, and command hub were all concentrated there.
The surface of the cylinder bore several massive longitudinal reinforcement ribs, like the ribs of a giant beast.
The most striking feature was the tail section.
Three enormous concentric rotating rings were slowly turning.
Each ring had a diameter of at least several hundred kilometers, each layer rotating at a different speed, creating a dizzying visual effect.
That was the Residential Zone of the fortress.
Slate stared at those rotating rings, silent for a few seconds.
Then he spoke, his voice low.
"In the previous three assaults, we suffered heavy losses against those three cannons."
"The first time, we sent three Duke-class Fleets in a frontal charge. They were swept by those three intersecting beams, and a third of our forces were wiped out in an instant."
"The second time, we tried to flank with a Joint Fleet. But those three fortresses formed a triangular defense, their Fire Coverage Area leaving almost no blind spots. The flanking fleet was nearly annihilated."
"The third time..."
He didn't finish.
Thatcher said it for him.
"The third time, we tried to deplete their energy with small-scale fleets."
He gave a bitter smile.
"But those Federation bastards didn't take the bait.
They matched our numbers ship for ship.
And after the skirmish, their gun muzzles were still aimed at us, their energy reserves still full."
The Bridge fell silent for a few moments.
Slate sighed softly.
"The original plan was to besiege without attacking."
"To use small-scale fleets for continuous Harassment, slowly draining the Energy Reserves of those three cannons."
"Then, once their energy was exhausted, we would take them in one fell swoop."
He turned to look at Thatcher.
"But now..."
Thatcher nodded.
"Now Command Headquarters has issued a strict order: we must assault."
"To cover the retreat of those Erebus guys."
Slate didn't speak.
He just looked out the window again.
The three fortresses were drawing closer.
He could even make out the outlines of the gun muzzles on their conical fronts.
Each one was thousands of kilometers in diameter, now aimed darkly and silently in their direction, cold and poised.
He suddenly recalled the scene from the first assault.
That violet beam erupted from the fortress's front, traversing nine million kilometers of Void, piercing straight through an entire Imperial Fleet.
The light of Sympathetic Detonation illuminated the entire Airspace.
The beam's lethal diameter spanned tens of thousands of kilometers.
Any starship within that area was swallowed by the raging plasma torrent.
Slate took a deep breath, pushing the image from his mind.
His voice echoed in the Bridge, regaining the steadiness of a Commander.
"Relay the orders."
"Entire fleet, deploy according to the predetermined formation."
"Main Cannons recharge, shields at full power."
"Prepare to..."
He paused, then continued.
"Attack."
The orders were swiftly relayed.
Over 200,000 warships from the Ares Fleet and Pandora Fleet began slowly adjusting their formation.
The glow of Energy Charging lit up the bows of each ship.
Shield Generators emitted a low hum.
Engine Tail Flames grew more intense.
Three groups of ships detached from the massive formations of the two Sequence Fleets, like three drawn blades, each pointing toward one of the three triangular Federal Fortresses.
At that moment, Federation warships began emerging from among the fortress cluster.
It was the Vault Fleet, which had been locked in combat with them.
Those ships were rapidly deploying into formation, building layer upon layer of defensive lines centered around the three fortresses.
Destroyers advanced, Cruisers held the center, Battleships brought up the rear, and Aircraft Carriers launched fighter craft from behind.
It was a standard Defensive Formation.
However, the Vault Fleet, originally over 100,000 starships strong, had suffered heavy losses during their fierce battle.
Now, only around 60,000 starships remained.
If not for relying on those three space fortresses for defense.
With the advantage of three Sequence Fleets, the Vault Fleet would never have held out this long.
The Vault Fleet also understood the importance of the three space fortresses. To conserve the energy of the fortress cannons,
they chose to advance when facing the attacks from the Ares and Pandora Fleets,
with no intention of hiding behind the fortresses.
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